The Dereham professional, who has earned over £55,000 in prize money since early June, was joint fifth at Castle Stuart after a six under par effort. Starting at the 10th, Marshall was three under at the turn and quickly picked up two more shots. He then bogeyed the 201 yard par three fourth but hit back with birdies at the 7th and 8th and parred his last to stand in an excellent position going into the second day.

Marshall was in a big group on 66, with just leader Francesco Molinari (62), Alejandro Canizares (64), Soren Kjeldsen and Rafael Jacquelin (65) ahead of him.

Molinari led the way after a 10-birdie course record against a field that included world number one Luke Donald and 10 major champions.

At 10 under after 15 holes, Molinari admits he did work out that three more birdies would give him the circuit’s first-ever 59. It did not happen – he parred them all – but he can still claim to have broken 60 for 18 holes. In Paris last week he played his last nine in 29 on his way to a 64 and here he turned in 30.

The 62 matched the lowest round of his Tour career and was a far cry from his first experience of links golf. That came in an amateur event at St Andrews over a decade ago. Anybody seeing him give a fist-pump of celebration when he birdied the last would have thought he had had a good day – but it was to break 90.

Not that he was the only one to suffer that day. One of his partners had “10 or 11” attempts to get out of a bunker on the short eighth, gave up and walked in.

“I know it’s not going to last for ever,” he added, “but I hope to keep this going a little bit longer.”

Molinari finished the day two in front of Spaniard Canizares and three clear of Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Dane Soren Kjeldsen.

Canizares was only one under at the turn, but covered the front nine in a seven under 29, finishing with six successive birdies. Donald was flying as well until he bogeyed two of his final five holes for a 67.